Euroleon nostras (Geoffroy in Fourcroy, 1785)

Petersen, Nicholas Hüsig, Nielsen, Ole Fogh & Vilhelmsen, Lars, 2022, Presence of populations of antlions (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) in Denmark correlates with presence of aeolian sand, Journal of Natural History 55 (45 - 46), pp. 2831-2847 : 2837

Euroleon nostras (Geoffroy in Fourcroy, 1785)

The imago of E. nostras is of the same size as M. bore , with a forewing length of 25– 33 mm. The presence of several dark spots on the wings of E. nostras makes it easily recognisable, as they are absent from the other Danish antlion species ( Figures 1 (c) and 2). E. nostras is without bright spots on the dorsal side of prothorax, and neither the males nor females have Eltringham’s organ ( Nielsen 2015).

The larva is reddish brown, the ventral side of the head is pale and with several spots, a pair of elongated dark markings near the median, with another pair of dark spots beneath. The labial palp is four-segmented, and the hind legs are without dark spots. The distal half of the 8th abdominal sternite is covered by two types of structures – a few black spines and numerous bristles ( Friheden 1973; Badano and Pantaleoni 2014).

Figures

Figure 1. Euroleon nostras (Geoffroy in Fourcroy, 1785),collected in the summer 2020 on Bornholm. a). Pupa. b). Larva. c). Adult. Not to scale. Live images by Line Kraemer/Bugdex.